Around the Peninsula

The Kenai Chamber of Commerce will hold its weekly luncheon at noon today at Paradisos restaurant in Kenai. Today is also the chamber's membership drive.

The luncheon will feature Kenai Mayor John Williams and city council member Duane Bannock, who will discuss the importance of the"Voice of the Kenai Chamber of Commerce" and the future of Kenai. For more information, call the chamber at 283-7989.

Social Security reps visiting peninsula

Alaska representatives from the Social Security Administration are visiting the peninsula this week. A representative will be at Kenai City Hall from noon to 4 p.m. today and at the Homer Senior Citizens Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday. For more information, call (800) 772-1213.

Second birch syrup workshop scheduled

The Kenai Peninsula Resource Conservation and Development District will hold a birch syrup tapping and processing workshop from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. March 23 at the Cook Inlet Aquaculture building on Kalifornsky Beach Road. Participants will learn birch syrup tapping and processing techniques. The workshop is free of charge and limited to 25 participants. For more information or to preregister, call 283-7493 ext. 106.

Bear-baiting clinic planned

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will hold four black bear-baiting clinics on the peninsula. Successful completion of a clinic is required for hunters to register a bait station in Units 7, 14A, 14B, 15, 16A and 20B. Hunters who have already attended a clinic and been certified do not need to attend again.

The clinics will be held at 6 p.m. March 26 at Seward High School, 6 p.m. March 28 at the Cook Inlet Aquaculture building in Kenai, April 10 in Homer, and 6 p.m. April 26 at the Soldotna Sports Center.

For more information, call 262-9368 or 235-8191.

Hunter certification to be required

Beginning Aug. 1, hunter education certification will be required for all people born after Jan. 1, 1986, who hunt in game management units 7, 13, 14, 15 and 20, or they must be under direct immediate supervision of a licensed hunter who has completed a certified hunter education course. Hunter education classes are taught by state-certified volunteer instructors across the state. For more information, call the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Soldotna at 262-9368.

Benefit dinner, auction scheduled

A benefit gourmet burger bash for Tommy Ellison, who has non-Hodgkins lymphoma, will be held at 6 p.m. April 5 at the Peninsula Grace Brethren Church on Kalifornsky Beach Road. There will be an auction, door prizes and a raffle.

Prizes include a 2002 Ski-Doo Summit 700 snowmachine and several rare shotguns. Tickets for the dinner are $10 per person or $25 per family. Snowmachine tickets are $20 each or 3 for $50. Shotgun tickets are $10 each or 3 for $25. All shotguns will got to one ticket drawn. All proceeds go toward helping the Ellison family with living expenses while out of state. For more information or to donate an item for auction, call Kandi at 262-9885, Kelly at 262-3576 or Monica at 262-2559.

Visitor services permit applications available

Applications for conducting commercial visitor services on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge are available from the refuge headquarters. A special-use permit is required for conducting any commercial visitor services on refuge lands and waters, including portions of the Kenai River within refuge boundaries. Applications will be accepted for the 2002-03 permit year until April 1. The permit year begins May 1 and runs through April 30, 2003. Multi-year permits need only update relevant permit requirements.